Archive for the ‘No Longer Afraid’ Category

The public is invited to hear me talk about the process involved in writing my first
book, “No Longer Afraid”, on December 8, 2015, at 6:30 PM at the library located
in Roberts, WI.

It is heartwarming, to say the least, that my first novel is still being read five years
after its launch. And, of course, I love to talk about it and, especially, about the
development of my characters as they live and breath and solve life’s problems.

I will be dedicating this presentation to a dear friend, Anne Jilek, who passed
away recently. At her funeral, a nurse and colleague of hers came up to me and
said, “So sorry you lost your agent.” I understand that Anne was spreading the
word about my books to everyone she met. I will miss you, dear Anne.

P.E.O. is a philanthropic educational organization which promotes educational opportunities for women and during the last decade, provided $100 million in educational funding for deserving women.
I am proud to say I belong to one such chapter (DW Wisconsin).
Recently, my first book, No Longer Afraid, was mentioned in the March/April P.E.O. Record. It warmed my heart and gave me the incentive to move forward with book two. Thank you.

This is probably hard to believe, but I have been a member of the same book club for almost 30 years. We started when some of our children were still in diapers, and now we’re enjoying spending time with our grandchildren. Where has the time gone?
The reason I mention the “Bookmarkers” is due to the fact that they are the most supportive, wonderful group of women I have ever known. They are proving their support once again by having an author’s event for me at the end of the month. They have all read my new novel, “Enough with the Secrets” and are ready to tell me what they think. Since it isn’t published yet, they’ve read the manuscript or the pdf.file. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say. Book club members all over Western Wisconsin have taken my first book to heart, and I want to make sure my next novel is something they’ll also enjoy. I’ll make sure to let you know the verdict on book two.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my friends will enjoy reading more about Claire Holmes. She was hardly a beloved character in “No Longer Afraid”, but everyone will be madly in love with her after they finish reading her side of the story in book two of the “Home to Lake Louise” saga. I promise!

Tonight I will drive to Baldwin, Wisconsin, to teach a class on the art and science of writing a novel. This is the third semester the class has been offered, and I look forward to it each and every time.
This time is different, however, because I have finished my second book, and I’m a little more savvy about the world of publishing. I have more information to offer my students concerning the use of the internet for marketing purposes, the recent major changes in self-publishing, and everything else I have learned about the writing process itself. I just hope I can inspire my students to move forward with their writing projects. They won’t reap the rewards unless they get up the nerve to try.

This class will offer one author’s unique approach to creating compelling fiction. She will share what motivated her to write, how she struggled with the writing process, and how, through trial and error, she completed her project. In the second session, the author will present what she learned on the road to independent publishing. The final session will give students a chance to explore their own writing with guidance from Roberta and others in the class. This class offers an intimate and safe atmosphere for aspiring authors to explore their own distinct writer’s journey.

Last year, Roberta Fiet Kuhn (pseudonym Bobbie Jean) independently published a book that has become wildly popular regionally—and the word keeps spreading! Her book is titled No Longer Afraid (Home to Lake Louise) and is available locally at gift shops, independent bookstores, through Wisconsin and Minnesota Libraries, and at Lulu.com as well as through all online bookstores. Visit her website at bobbiejeansbooks.com to learn more about her projects.

Roberta Kuhn taught Adult Basic Education classes for CVTC for thirty years, where she helped hundreds of stu¬dents learn how to write essays, reports, and research papers. Since retiring from that profession, she has been busy with her own creative writing projects.

I haven’t blogged in awhile…summer is busy with outdoor activities and grandkids, so writing of any kind takes a backseat. Unless I have some exciting news to share, that is.

The good news is that Hudson, WI, has a new bookstore. Many of us have sorely missed being able to run into a local bookstore for books or gifts for the readers in our lives. Western Wisconsin has great libraries, but sometimes we want to buy a book to cherish forever, and we don’t want to drive twenty-five miles out of our way to do it. Now you don’t have to!

Check out Chapter2books at 422 2nd Street, Hudson, WI. One of the friendly owners, Sue or Brian Roegge, will be happy to show you around their quaint little shop. You’ll just love the treasures you’ll find there including NO LONGER AFRAID. Yea!

My sweet little book has taken me on local adventures of all kinds including library dedications, women’s expos, and wonderful book club gatherings. The adventure continues and you can now find the paperback online at Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Amazon as well as Lulu.com. The ebook is now available for downloading to the Kindle, the Nook, and all of the other ebook readers.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my adventures and have been encouraged to cross the river…the St. Croix, that is. So I’m planning a visit to “Saturday Morning” on Kare 11 and will let you know the date. In addition, No Longer Afraid will now be available in the twin cities libraries. Please let all of your friends in on the news so they’ll be ready for Book Two, the irrepressible Claire Holmes, and the heartbreaking news that will forever change her life.

The event will raise funds for the Free Clinic of Pierce and St. Croix Counties and St. John’s Social Concern’s Fund. I have been invited to showcase my novel, NO LONGER AFRAID, along with 20 other venders and musicians, as well as panel members and speakers discussing women’s issues. See the River Falls Journal, May 5th edition, or go to www.mysticalrosegardens.com for more information.

HAMMOND BOOK CLUB MEETING
at the
RIVER FALLS GOLF COURSE
River Falls, Wisconsin

I have been extended an invitation from the ladies of the Hammond Book Club to discuss my first novel, NO LONGER AFRAID, with them. They are an enthusiastic bunch of women and decided to open it to the public, renting space, and advertising all over the place. Please come and join us. Have your questions ready for me! Oh, by the way, there will be coffee and wonderful desserts waiting for you if you manage to sit through the whole thing! See you there.

Recently, Dr. Phil announced that he is beginning a year-long campaign “to protect kids from bullying and end the silence on domestic violence” (O Magazine). He is encouraging us all to become part of the solution by speaking up now!

As my character, Senior Deputy District Attorney Grant Harrison, says in the epilogue of my novel, NO LONGER AFRAID, “Somehow, we as a society, must become so intolerant of the bullying of children, so disgusted by the dating abuse and violence threatening our teens, and so outraged by the domestic violence against women and children that no one is afraid to report it. We must reach the point where there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the abusers will be prosecuted swiftly and penalized to the fullest extent of the law.”

Not unlike the hero and heroine of NO LONGER AFRAID, Dr. Phil wishes to educate us all about this blight on our society. Maggie and Mac stopped being victims when they decided to educate their clients and students about the devistating affects of bullying and domestic violence, gave them the tools they needed to recognize it if was happening to them, and told them how to stop it if it did.